by Tim Hanson

For the first time since 2000, the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) is posting a budget surplus, of $82,402.

“Our surplus is a result of cutting costs and increased revenues. Most notably Felicita’s ran a deficit of almost $10,000 last year and this year it posted a profit of over $90,000,” said Students’ Society General Manager Marne Jensen.

While a surplus of that amount might seem large, Jensen contrasted it to the near $1,000,000 debt that the UVSS has accumulated, something she chalks up to previous mismanagement. “My predecessor wasn’t exactly watching the chicken coop,” she said.

Former SUB General Manager Doug Ausman was fired for not properly dealing with Vivek Sharma, the former SUB business manager allegedly responsible for appropriating around $30,000 from the UVSS.

“We were undertaking a lot of things at a time when we didn’t have a lot of money” said Jensen.

New business ventures, previous renovations and the Sharma fiasco all added to the nearly $1,000,000 debt.

“The best we can hope for is to post a surplus of approximately $100,000 a year. Beyond that, the cost of services rises higher than the average student can reasonably afford. A debt of this magnitude will take 10 years to pay off,” said Jensen.

Dale Robertson, current business manager for the SUB, described how he coped with budget restrictions: “We were running on a tight budget and that required tight scheduling. We went to the individual businesses and asked them ‘What is your dream schedule?’ From there we worked out what was reasonable, in terms of budget constraints versus operational needs. While there was one permanent staff layoff over the summer, most businesses reduced their labour hours to cope with budget reductions.”

While reductions fell on a number of SUB businesses, Food Services took the brunt of the budget constraints.

Brad Mielke, SUB Food Services manager, said his job has changed drastically since the debt crunch. “I am charged with employing as many students as I can, while still providing a cheaper alternative to campus food services. But now I’ve had to make changes to keep these services viable and affordable for students. I currently employ half as many students as I did two years ago.” said Mielke.